The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football

College football has never been more popular - or more chaotic. Millions fill 100,000-seat stadiums every Saturday; tens of millions more watch on television every weekend. The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama had a viewership of 26.4 million people, second only to the Super Bowl. Billions of dollars from television deals now flow into the game; the average budget for a top-ten team is $80 million; top coaches make more than $3 million a year; the highest paid, more than $5 million.

Slow Getting Up: A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile

Nate Jackson's Slow Getting Up is an unvarnished and uncensored memoir of everyday life in the most popular sports league in America - and the most damaging to its players - the National Football League. After playing college ball at a tiny Division III school, Jackson, a receiver, signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers, before moving to the Denver Broncos. For six seasons in the NFL as a Bronco, he alternated between the practice squad and the active roster, eventually winning a starting spot - a short, tenuous career emblematic of the average pro player.

The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the 1988 Olympic 100M Final

The 1988 Seoul Olympics played host to what has been described by some as the dirtiest race of all time, by others as the greatest. The final of the men's 100 metres at those Olympics is certainly the most infamous in the history of athletics, and more indelibly etched into the consciousness of the sport, the Olympics, and a global audience of millions, than any other athletics event before or since.

The Last Headbangers: NFL Football in the Rowdy, Reckless 70s - The Era that Created Modern Sports

The inside story of the most colorful decade in NFL history - pro football's raging, hormonal, hairy, druggy, immortal adolescence. Between the Immaculate Reception in 1972 and The Catch in 1982, pro football grew up. In 1972, Steelers star Franco Harris hitchhiked to practice. NFL teams roomed in skanky motels. They played on guts, painkillers, legal steroids, fury, and camaraderie. A decade later, Joe Montana's gleamingly efficient 49ers ushered in a new era: the corporate, scripted, multibillion-dollar NFL we watch today.

Black Box Thinking: The Surprising Truth About Success

Columnist for The Times and best-selling author of Bounce: The myth of talent and the power of practice, Matthew Syed argues that the key to success is a positive attitude to failure. What links the Mercedes Formula One team with Google? What links Dave Braisford's Team Sky and the aviation industry?What is the connection between the inventor James Dyson and the footballer David Beckham? They are all Black Box Thinkers.

Parcells: A Football Life

Bill Parcells may be the most iconic football coach of our time. During his decades-long tenure as an NFL coach, he turned failing franchises into contenders. He led the ailing New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories, turned the New England Patriots into an NFL powerhouse, reinvigorated the New York Jets, brought the Dallas Cowboys back to life, and was most recently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mr I Buchanan says:"A true NFL Legend"

Publisher's Summary

"Professional football players do not sustain frequent repetitive blows to the brain on a regular basis."

So concluded the National Football League in a December 2005 scientific paper on concussions in America's most popular sport. That judgment, implausible even to a casual fan, also contradicted the opinion of a growing cadre of neuroscientists who worked in vain to convince the NFL that it was facing a deadly new scourge: A chronic brain disease that was driving an alarming number of players - including some of the all-time greats - to madness.

League of Denial reveals how the NFL, over a period of nearly two decades, sought to cover up and deny mounting evidence of the connection between football and brain damage.

Comprehensively, and for the first time, award-winning ESPN investigative reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru tell the story of a public health crisis that emerged from the playing fields of our 21st century pastime. Everyone knew that football is violent and dangerous. But what the players who built the NFL into a $10 billion industry didn't know - and what the league sought to shield from them - is that no amount of padding could protect the human brain from the force generated by modern football; that the very essence of the game could be exposing these players to brain damage.

In a fast-paced narrative that moves between the NFL trenches, America's research labs and the boardrooms where the NFL went to war against science, League of Denial examines how the league used its power and resources to attack independent scientists and elevate its own flawed research - a campaign with echoes of Big Tobacco's fight to deny the connection between smoking and lung cancer. It chronicles the tragic fates of players like Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, who was so disturbed at the time of his death he fantasized about shooting NFL executives; and former Chargers great Junior Seau, whose diseased brain became the target of an unseemly scientific battle between researchers and the NFL. Based on exclusive interviews, previously undisclosed documents and private emails, this is the story of what the NFL knew and when it knew it - questions at the heart of crisis that threatens football, from the highest levels all the way down to Pop Warner.

I approached this book a bit different ( more knowledgeable) than most history books I order - that of being a trial lawyer for 30 years ( personal injury) in which cause of a medical condition ( including dementia-like conditions as causally linked to head trauma) was almost always the issue. It came as no surprise, therefore, to listen that CTE as linked to NFL play was hotly debated. BUT - although I did like the book; although the narration was excellent; and the authors did a very very good job in describing the players for us, their careers and the downturn some of them faced post NFL - their bias was a bit too pronounced. Not a lot, but not insignificant either. They implied throughout that those in favor of linking CTE to football were the good doctors, those which did not were the bad doctors. Listening with " a lawyers ear" ( and I acted for people against insurance companies throughout my career) I thought it was not as clear cut as the authors would have us believe, especially as the majority of NFL players do not develop these symptoms. I also agree with the first reviewer that it was difficult to keep track of which doctor, which opinion. That is not to say, however, that I did not like the audiobook. I did. It is worth the credit.. I found it very interesting, all parts, the whole discusson, especially, to repeat myself, when the player's lives were discussed. I will follow up and research further this topic CTE and the NFL ( starting with the show that " Frontline" did on the book, available via YouTube), which for me is a good sign the book is worth reading.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

S.

Clearwater, FL, United States

21/01/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Outstanding"

Sometimes 'listening' to non-fiction is very difficult but this performance was excellent and while it is a complex book the story is so well constructed and the performance so strong it is an outstanding listen. Worth every minute - I intend to buy the physical book as well, it is that important.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

s.

Pittsburgh, PA, United States

25/01/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fascinating and engaging look at lives sacrificed"

What made the experience of listening to League of Denial the most enjoyable?

Fascinating journalistic inquiry into role of concussions and culpability of NFL. Starts with Pittsburgh Steeler's center Mike Webster in early 80s and brings us up to current day [$345 million settlement was announced as this book was being published so discussion around that is included, too]. Maybe it's because I'm from Pittsburgh, but knowing many of the professional football players they documented in this book--as well as the many Pittsburgh places and people-- made it a quick read.

Any additional comments?

Not 100% unbiased. Focus is solely on head trauma as initial indicator of later chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Authors don't really ask any of the number of neurosurgeons and neuropathologists they interviewed about role of drug abuse like steroids, performance-enhancing drugs and/or alcohol abuse on prevalence of or likelihood for CTE--but maybe that's a different book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Cynthia

Monrovia, California, United States

18/10/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"How to Kill Friends and Influence People"

In 2002, Bennet Omalu MD was the medical examiner on call when 'Iron Mike' Webster, a beloved former Pittsburgh Steeler and NFL Hall of Famer, died of a heart attack. Omalu is extremely well educated and trained - he has medical licenses in four states, and he has five board certifications. When he performed the autopsy, he noticed that Webster's medical notes said he'd been mentally deteriorating in the years before his death at 50. Omalu, who was working on a degree in Neuropathogy at the time, decided to preserve and examine Webster's brain.

Omalu grew up and Nigeria and found American Football mystifying. He has "no filters" (Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru's words, not mine); the subtlety of Lady Gaga; and the social grace of Sheldon Cooper of "The Big Bang Theory". Omalu found that Iron Mike had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Omalu's discovery triggered what's been an 11 year odyssey of denial; brains in the closet, marinating in formaldehyde; finger pointing; brains in the back of a Mercedes; a rheumatologist's (who said he was a graduate of SUNY Stony Brook, but actually went to Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara) attempts to discredit the research results of the best neuroscientists in world; brains of well loved players on slides; the NFL's conversion of "The Journal of Neurosurgery" into mouthpiece; and finally - maybe - the NFL's realization that multiple concussions can, and do, cause CTE. Omalu, like Cassandra, has been dismissed. If this were fiction, it would be a Michael Crichton novel written by that classic conspiracy theorist, John Munch (Law and Order: SVU, etc.). Unfortunately, it's very real.

I fall into the ESPN demographic 'average football fan', but Los Angeles hasn't had a professional team for 18 years, so that's understandable. I go to Monrovia High School Wildcats games, and catch some college and pro games on TV, but I'm no 'student of the game '. I was worried that I wouldn't understand what the Fainarus were talking about in "League of Denial: The NFL Concussions and the Battle for the Truth" (2013), but the football relevant to concussions was so well explained, someone who's never seen a game would understand the issues.

I had the same issue with this book that I did with Delores Kearns Goodwin's Pulitzer-prize winning "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" (2005). "League of Denial" is a great book, but it's not a great Audible book. So many of the 'players' (I mean doctors and scientists here) traded to other teams, I had trouble following who originally had what opinion, and when or why it changed, and who disdained who. I could have used an index, a roster, or - in some cases - a bank statement.

The Fainarus compare the NFL CTE denial to Big Tobacco, but isn't this worse? No one ever thought Phillip Morris was their friend, or spent hundreds of hours in practice and at games with Lorillard.

The Fainarus don't come to any conclusions personally, except that credible research makes it clear concussions2 (squared) = CTE = possible living hell, so terrible a player will suicide - but do so in a way that his brain is preserved to help others. What terrible, final grace.

I have a question, though: I'm a demographic, a 'Soccer Mom.' My daughter plays year round, and at her own request, (after a 13 year old teammate concussed after hitting the AstroTurf-over-cinders-over-cement ground, and sat out a month) wears a helmet. Does that help? Can I do more? The Fainarus make it clear that there's not a true answer to my question yet, even if the helmet manufacturer says so.

I thought the narration was good, and David H. Lawrence has a great voice for a football book. Or a Michael Connelly or Robert Crais thriller. However, there was a weird editing problem: in a couple of places, there was a sudden audio cutoff that made me think I had an incoming call.

[If this review helped, please press YES.]

14 of 25 people found this review helpful

David A. Wood

14/10/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Interesting look at the "concussion crisis" of the NFL"

The people involved in this story are simultaneously fascinating and flawed, both the heroes and the "villains". It does give a football fan concern for the future of this century's American pastime and for the players we cheer every weekend.

David H. Lawrence XVII gives an excellent performance. His read is engaging and pulls you into the story without making it about himself. A terrific storyteller!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Tom Morash

29/08/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"shocking evidence"

Great read, shocking evidence that the NFL has and continues to deny head injuries and their relation to football play.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Rosemary

FORT WORTH, TX, United States

24/08/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Surgeon General Warning on football helmets"

Fabulous book! Should be required reading by every parent whose child wants to play football, a super violent sport. Americans need to band together and convince the surgeon general to put a health hazard warning on every football helmet. The American Neurological Association needs to make a stand to protect our brains.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Kate M.

13/06/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Transcends the sport of football--amazing story"

What did you love best about League of Denial?

It was well-researched, well-written and fascinating. I learned so much about concussions and brain injury, and how it is the accumulation of such injuries, when not given time to heal, lead to serious consequences.I do not watch football or care about the sport, but I was totally engrossed in the stories of the individual players who were affected, and how the NFL spent its resources in denying the truth.

What was one of the most memorable moments of League of Denial?

The first life story, that of Mike Webster. It was such a compelling case for how his livelihood eventually ruined his life and the lives of those close to him.

In addition, the story about the female pathologist, a lifelong Packers fan, who worked on several player's brains. She became frustrated over the NFL's repeated denials and while she still loved the game, came to see the NFL as the villain.

Which character – as performed by David H. Lawrence XVII – was your favorite?

Not sure.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Same as the book--perfect title.

Any additional comments?

I was engrossed in this book from the very beginning. It is as much a story about individuals as it is about football and the NFL.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

King Hap

Boston

02/02/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Wow. Great book!!!"

Great book for any NFL fan, or sports fan in general. Touchy topic and this book gets deep into detail. I would 100% recommend this book.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

William R. Toddmancillas

Chico, California United States

31/12/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Another Organization Stone Walls"

What did you love best about League of Denial?

How detailed the story was about the Shenanigans the NFL pulled. Just unscrupulous.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked the Nigerian Doctor who gave the NFL hell. He is different from the nice guy depicted in the movie, which is also excellent.

What does David H. Lawrence XVII bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent narration. However, the book is also necessary. Just too many names and details to keep straight by simply listening to the audio or seeing the movie.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh noooooo! Impossible. Too complicated.

Any additional comments?

I am not a football fan to begin with. Now I am really not a fan.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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